Heiress to the Crown
by SeeSea22
Summary: Long after Allen's victory over the Earl, he has been reborn- as a girl. Her life isn't going to be easy, especially not when she gets transported through time to make sure a history she knows nothing about actually comes true. Join Artemis Crest as she tries to navigate this unfamiliar place and time! Rewrite of 'Heir to the Crown'
1. Chapter 1: a Beginning

_**Hello and Welcome to Heiress to the Crown! This is a rewrite of my previous work, 'Heir to the Crown', and as such you will still be able to find that story on . Without further ado, I own nothing of this series except my OCs!**_

Being completely honest, I really should've expected something bad to happen that afternoon…

I never really understood my brother's obsession with going to church every Sunday, but our mm humored him anyway. Well, technically she was just Troy's mother, but Leona and I had been adopted by her before she'd given birth to her son. She was the only mothe we had ever known.

Either way, Kara- Mom- didn't force Leona or I to sit through the church services with Troy and herself. Mom seemed perfectly arigh with letting a pair of 11-year-olds run around the area near the church for some reason. My sister was off in one of the nearby stores, looking for shoes. At least, I think she was looking at shoes- I hadn't gone in with her. If she was perusing footwear though, she'd probably have a new pair before we left.

I was wandering by myself in the streets, looking for that stupid bookstore Brian insisted was around here. As i walked, I passed a storefront and I paused to look myself over since it had gotten pretty windy.

The window gave me a fair view of my rumpled black t-shirt, jean shorts, and muddy tennis shoes. My hair was billowing around my head, the shoulder length ginger hair going every which way. I tried to push the hair away from my eyes, but i didn't really manage to get the strands to leave my silver orbs alone. I huffed and kept trying, revealing the odd pentagon-and-slash birthmark that marred the right side of my face, directly over my right eye.

I huffed, getting a little annoyed, but soon gave up with trying to keep the red hair from being its annoying self. With that loss I started off again, scanning each storefront and building to see if I could find that elusive book vendor. Hopefully, even if I did manage to find it, the store would be open on a Sunday. When I didn't spot it on the main drag of street Mom said Leona and I could wander, I glanced around to make sure my dark haired sister hadn't suddenly popped up to check on me.

With the coast clear of meddling sisters I moved towards the nearest alleyway, wanting to use it as a shortcut to the next street over. Maybe Brian's bookstore was over there? Hell if I knew man, I was just looking for a good book to read!

The alleyway was dingy and crammed full of garbage, but hey I didn't see anyone. That was always a good thing when one was disobeying her mother. I moved slowly, not wanting to step in the dirty puddles of water that littered the ground here and there. It was slow going, since so many of the puddles were huge. I was just about to jump over a new puddle when I stopped, frozen.

My right eye felt like it was burning itself from the inside out, as if someone had taken a hot iron and slammed it into the socket from the back of my head and twisted it with a vengeance. Within seconds I crumpled to the ground and ended up on my side in a puddle, writhing in agony as it felt like my head tried to implode upon itself. I wasn't even able to scream, the pulsing in my cranium drowned out everything else.

If I could've been able to pay attention, I would've noticed the sudden influx of shimmering green particulates that began to appear around me. They swirled in a tornado around my body, getting faster and faster before sinking deep into my left arm, leaving a bright green cross to glow on the back of my hand for a few moments before it faded into scar tissue.

Within the next few seconds the pain started to fade slowly, and eventually I was left there in a mud puddle, a sobbing mess of an 11-year-old. Once I was able to feel something besides blinding pain, I realized that there was something that I could… almost sense behind me.

I twisted on the ground, coming face to foot with a pair of ugly ass sneakers. My eyes darted upwards to whoever was standing over me, only to find myself staring at a dead eyed man with a huge corpse-like vision hanging over his head. He grinned with almost rotten looking teeth and then I went flying backwards.

He'd kicked me in the stomach, somehow the man was strong enough to send me skidding a good three meters or so. I coughed hard, a bit of blood coming up, and I tried to struggle to my knees. The corpse creature was cackling loudly, almost as if it had gone insane for whatever reason. I managed to get my neck to crane upwards as the man sauntered towards me, an evil gleam in his dead black eyes.

Before he got close enough to throw another hit at me, a shaft of light seemed to form in front of me, a thin line of light that started to get brighter and larger as I reached out a shaking hand to brush it with mud covered fingers.

The corpse phantom screamed in outrage as I touched the light, but it didn't have a single moment to come after me- I was gone.

Somewhere between touching the light and whatever the hell happened next, I must've passed out, because the next thing I know I'm opening my eyes to a badly lit alleyway that… was nothing like the one I had just been in. I shot up, noting that the ache in my abdomen where I'd been kicked was gone- and so was the man that had been attacking me. My silver eyes darted around the cobblestoned walls and ground, taking in how dirty it seemed and the fact that I'd never actually seen this place before.

I stood up, noting that I was still covered in mud, when I realized that the light, it was flickering. When I found the only illumination around, I tried not to rub my eyes out of disbelief. It was an oil lamp. A real, godforsaken oil lamp. As a street light.

"What. The. Fuck."

 ** _A/N: Hi again! If you got through this, thank you very much! Welcome to anyone new reading- and welcome back to anyone who read the original! Here's the beginning of our little story, and another chapter should come soon. Reviews most certainly motivate me, and I'd love to hear from you!_**

 ** _-SeeSea_**


	2. Chapter 2: And another Beginning

When I found the only illumination around, I tried not to rub my eyes out of disbelief. It was an oil lamp. A real, godforsaken oil lamp. As a street light.

"What. The. Fuck."

~Ar~

Nothing was making a lick of sense, not by a long shot. Nothing! My eyes flickered around the near empty street, ignoring the few odd looks that were sent my way by the wandering people. They were dressed oddly, like someone had thrown a Ren Fair, except with uh… Victorian people? I think.. Um… Steampunk was the word, except they didn't seem very steamy.

I backed away from the main street I'd found myself on, already feeling my brows knit together in confusion as I tried to puzzle out what was going on here exactly. Creepy guy, bright light, hellish pain, and…

I bit my lip and spotted what looked to be a discarded newspaper. I snatched it up and squinted at the paper, only managing to make out the first two numbers of the yearly date. It took a few times rubbing my eyes and a pinch or two for it to sink in- 1800's. This paper was from the 1800's. Probably late in the century, but the 1800's!

For a few seconds it didn't really seem plausible, not in the slightest, but who would have anything to gain from making me think it was over a century in the past? I didn't piss anyone off that badly, not as far as I knew. So… Actual time travel. Great.

As I tried to move back into the alleyway again, avoiding anyone's eye, a hand clamped down on my shoulder hard. I let out a yelp and tried to pull away, only to have someone yank me around to face them.

It was a rather tall man with wild red hair and he was glaring down at me with one good eye, the other hidden by an eyepatch it looked like. "Name child." He demanded and I shook my head violently, still trying to pull away.

"I said name." He snapped, grabbing hold of my shirt so that I couldn't really get away. "A-Artemis!" I answered with wide eyes, shivering under his gaze and with the cool air of the night. His head tilted to the side and he picked me up under my arms, staring right at my face.

I swallowed silently and didn't let my silver eyes waver from his face, even though I was getting nervous. "Last name?"

I leaned away from him a little bit, too scared to kick my legs out at him. "Crest."

"Hm. You'll do." He picked me up without another word and set me on his shoulder. "Be quiet and just look around Crest."

"What? No! What's going on?" I refused to just sit quietly on some random guy's shoulder and act like nothing was wrong. "The warning I was given seems to have been correct. Little time traveller in need of training. From what I can see, you're likely just a reincarnation of one of the current Exorcists."

I had been wobbling slightly on his shoulder and in retaliation I grabbed at his hair to hang on. "Explain. Now. And who are you supposed to be anyway!"

It took a few hours for him to finish explaining what was going on- from these Akuma things to Exorcists and everything in between. It didn't sound totally plausible, but it was all I had for now. By the time he was done talking, he'd carried me to a hotel or inn or whatever they were called, gotten a room- citing that I was his daughter, of all things- and gotten me some food.

"So let me get this straight yea? Your name is Cross, you're some sort of bigwig General guy and you go around training people to fight these demonic Akuma thingamajigers, who're actually the tormented souls of someone's loved one that's forced to take over someone who was alive and wished for them to come back?"

"That would be correct child. I train apprentices for the Black Order, and I believe…" He grabbed my left arm and held it up for me to see, showing off the cross shaped scar that, until now, I hadn't realized had been there. "This is a mark of Innocence."

"You mean the weapon stuff? No way." I shook my head and was a few moments from yanking my hand away when Cross huffed and his grip tightened. "Yes 'way' Crest. Proof? Focus on your hand and utter 'Innocence Activate'! If nothing happens, then you're correct."

I glared up at him but sighed, my eyes landing on my hand for a few moments while I tried to focus on it and nothing else. When I thought I had it, I took a deep breath. "Innocence Activate!"

With wide eyes I watched as my left hand's scar glowed bright neon green and then flashed. After a few moments of blinding light, there was a black and red claw like limb in place of my hand. The nails had grown out with a dried blood color and the skin itself had become a leatherlike black hide with white swirls of intricate crosses left in it. The scar was pulsing the same green as before, shining brightly enough to make it hard to look directly at. "Oh.. Woah…" I whispered in awe as Cross stared down at me while I looked over my hand and arm.

I wasn't paying attention, but he looked a little troubled as he watched me. "Exorcist, Little Crest. That's what you're going to be. Now shut up and go to bed. We have work to do tomorrow."

Weeks flew by quickly enough, the General continuing to show me the basics of controlling my powers. He took me towards Akuma long enough for the pain in my eye to feel almost normal by the time we left the city he'd found me in. Besides all the training, he'd started having me smudge some sort of makeup on my face, hiding the birthmark over my right eye. His excuse was that I needed to blend in for now, and the mark would make me stand out more than a pair of redheads wandering around. Every time someone asked who I was, he simply told them I was his daughter and they had no need to question me about anything. It seemed a towering man with a missing eye scared enough people that nobody bothered to pay attention to me.

Eventually though Cross and I ended up in a smaller town, and I felt a little uncomfortable as we entered. It wasn't the telltale sign of an Akuma, instead it was just… uneasiness. I kept my mouth shut for now, unsure what I was supposed to say, if anything, and we simply headed farther into the town.

We ended up stopping at a small house that looked a little run down but at least it was standing and looked warm. Cross pushed open the door and hollered for 'some brat' to get his ass out of his room, and I slowly started to back away from him until he grabbed my new coat and held me fast.

"Coming!" a boy's voice answered, and after a few moments a guy who looked to be a few years older than me skidded into view from around the corner of the hallway. He froze when he saw me, frowning as he took in my messy red hair and silver eyes. "Uh, Master, who… who is this?"

"This is my new apprentice Walker. You'll be done with your training in a couple of years, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to grab another one before I send your lazy ass off."

My nose twitched a little and I glared at Cross before stomping on his foot as hard as I could. "I can hear you!" I snapped, having gotten tired of listening to Cross talk and not being allowed to say anything of my own. The man barely flinched but let me go. I brushed myself off and looked up at this 'Walker' guy. What hit me first wasn't the white hair or the odd darkness of his left hand, but instead his eyes. More specifically, his left eye. It was a mirror of my own, looking exactly like the hidden birthmark on my face, even down to the little squiggly bit on his cheek. My hand flew up as I brushed the makeup on my cheek gently, not removing it, but only in shock. "Hi, my name is Allen! What's your name?" the boy asked and I jumped a little before answering.

"Artemis. My name is Artemis. It's nice to meet you Allen." I held out my right hand for him to shake and the teenager smiled as he returned the favor.

"How old are you Artemis?"

"I'll be twelve in uh.." I paused, frowning. I wasn't even sure what day it was. Heck. "Walker, I have to speak with you before you go about getting to know this kid. You, Crest, go find food. Shoo." I huffed at Cross's orders but ran off, snatching his coin purse with a snort as I ran out of the house. I didn't even hear a holler as I did it, which meant he didn't care that I'd done it. Weird.

*Al*

"What's going on Master?" I asked as soon as the little red haired girl ran away. I was maybe a year and a half away from finishing my learning it seemed, and I was just a little confused as to why Cross would go and find another person to train already.

"When I was younger, a normal Exorcist, someone appeared out of a flash of light. Demanded that on a specific date, in a specific place, I find a little ginger girl and train her. Said he was from the future, and the kid was too." Cross sat down with a heavy thump on what passed as a couch. "Sure enough, I find a muddy little girl with weird clothing slinking around where I was told to find her. It wasn't even raining or damp and she was covered in wet mud. I've managed to get most of her little story from her, and I'll say this much. Time travel is a bitch and don't you ever fuck with it kid." He messed up my hair a bit more than it already had been and I frowned as I fixed it.

"So Artemis is... "

"From what she's explained, she's at least from over a century or so in the future. Something sent her back. Don't care what. She's got Innocence similar to you-" He poked my chest. "-And so I'm gonna train the little brat. Just keep her out of trouble." And with that the man laid back and started to go to sleep.

"Go make sure the little shit doesn't spend all of my money boy."

I nodded, a little uneasy at the sudden explanation, but I grabbed my coat and went after Artemis.

~Ar~

Years didn't seem so long with Allen and Cross, not by a long shot. Before I could realize, Allen's training was completely done, and he'd left to go join up with the Black Order officially. Which left me to the General's whims. Which, from what I could see, was… unusual. Allen's experience with him wasn't nearly as bad as my own, but maybe it was because of antiquated ideals about girls being weaker. Whatever it was, at least I was getting good training in instead of cheating people at poker.

Not that I didn't do that too. Cross couldn't kick his habits other than being an asshole to his apprentice. Allen had taught me as much as he could before Cross sent him away, and I took up the job of making sure we at least had food and a place to sleep.

It didn't feel that long before I was hitting the age of sixteen.

And with the changes in the seasons came the changes within me.

Over the years- even while Allen had been around- my hair had started to get longer. And while it grew, it turned white, the same shade as my only real friend around here. He seemed a little confused as to why it did, but Cross brushed off his concerns after a little while. I'd stopped hiding my birthmark only a couple of weeks before Allen left, which had surprised him, but we just figured it was just a coincidence. Right?

Either way, by the time I was sixteen I had hair past my waist, the bottom half of it as dark red as it used to be and the top white, streaked here and there with red. I'd gotten a little taller, maybe about as tall as Allen when he left, and puberty had only made it easier to get people to agree to a poker game with me, since I was mildly pretty and knew how to look innocent.

But by now, Cross had decided it was time to take me to the Order.

And that's how this hellish day came into being.

~Ar~

"CROSS I'M GOING TO PUNT YOU OFF THE TOP OF THIS CLIFF I SWEAR TO FU-" I cut off my hollering as a bolt of lighting slashed through the sky and I resisted the urge to scream in surprise.

I only heard his familiar cackle as I continued to climb up this cliff in the thunderstorm that had been brewing for who knows how long. "GET OVER IT GIRL!" he yelled back and I let out a growl as I kept going up higher.

I hated heights. I despised them. I loathed them with a pink and purple polka dotted passion. When I was younger- and in my own time- I had slowly gotten over them, climbing up trees and the like when I could, but here? Here they didn't have the same medicine- which meant falls were so much worse. And with that knowledge came back my fear of being high up in the air.

This clearly didn't stop my teacher from forcing me to climb up this cliff with him in the rain. My clothes were soaked,my hair looked like a mess of gray and near black, and I was getting tired. But I still climbed, knowing that if I fell there was no coming back from it. Damn Cross, right to the first level of hell.

It took forever, but eventually I rolled onto the top of the cliff, arms shaking and heart racing. Cross was right after me, his same smug ass smile on his face while he brushed himself off and started towards a large face carved into the cliffside.

I sighed as I followed, my side aching a little from all the climbing we'd done. As we got close the face animated, staring down at us with creepy eyes. I met its gaze for the most part, frowning a tad as I watched it 'scan' Cross and then repeat his rank and such. It then turned its eyes on me, doing the scan as well. I stood stock still as I was looked over. At first it seemed that I was going to get past the damn thing without an issue, until the scan hit my face.

"AKUMA AKUMA AKUMA AKUM-" The damn thing started going off and I let out a surprised yelp and took a step back. Before Cross could correct the door thing, a flash of black came down at me. Without really thinking I slammed my left hand up, the Innocence activating with a bright flash. My had turned hard and metallic as I caught the sword that came down for my head.

The man holding it was probably a bit older than me, at least by a few years, and was clearly from some East Asian country from the pale skin, tilted blue eyes, and black-blue hair. At the moment he looked ready to skewer me without a second thought. Great.

I grabbed hold of his sword and yanked it to the side, hoping to either throw him or it away from me. Instead he just went with it and kicked out at my torso. It hurt like a bitch when his kick connected and I dropped to the ground for a moment before groaning and then punched his kneecap with my right hand.

He let out a low hiss and I smirked as I rolled away from him, letting the sword go and bury itself into the ground. I came up after a few moments and returned his favor with a kick of my own to his back. He ended up rolling away from his stuck sword and the ice in his eyes seemed even worse than it had been a moment ago.

Before we could continue the fight, Cross barged over and grabbed my arm, yanking me to the side to brush my wet hair out of my face and reveal the birthmark. "Same curse as Walker you idiots, not an Akuma. Fucking hell."

After a little more convincing, the door guard thing let us through. While Cross had been arguing with the door, I'd taken my time to look over the guy who'd attacked me. He was a good bit taller than me, which wasn't that hard, and looked like… well a hardened warrior. I didn't try asking his name at the moment, since I'd only get glared at probably, and once we started inside, I didn't bother to look at him as Cross guided me around the place until we came to an office sort of area.

"KOUMI! GET OUT HERE!" He hollered, banging on the door. After a few moments it opened, a harried looking man in a white beret and glasses staring at us for a few seconds. "Oh, Cross. Where did you come.. From…" the man paused as he stared at me and I just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who's this?"

"Artemis Crest, my other apprentice. Walker may or may not have mentioned her."

The man, Koumi I assumed, only nodded slowly and let us into the mess that was his office. It was a little odd to sit there while Cross went over my history of sorts, and- even more odd- Koumi didn't seem too fazed by the idea that I'd been flung backwards through time.

"Well at the very least we have another Exorcist to our ranks. I'll ask Kanda to show you to the mess hall for now Artemis."

Turns out, the guy who'd attacked me was this Kanda person, and I didn't ask much of him after Koumi told him to take me to the cafeteria. Oh who am I kidding, of course I asked him stuff.

"So do you always attack girls the first time you see them?"

"Leave me alone."

"I'll keep asking until I get an answer."

"I attack whoever the guardian deems necessary."

"Sort of stupid."

"Shut up."

Before I could annoy the man any more, we stepped into the mess hall. The room was pretty big, and I paused in the doorway to look over everyone there with wide eyes. A few people glanced at me but didn't pay attention, except one.

A white haired young man stood up within moments of my entrance and bolted for me, almost barreling over Kanda to pick me up and spin me around in a crushing hug.

"ARTEMISSS!"

 ** _A/n:And there we have it, chapter two is up! A few changes from the original, of course, and hopefully with a better sort of writing style. I'd prefer at least a couple reviews loves, before I try and bang out another chapter! -SS_**


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